WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of U.S. jobs openings fell in January from a three-and-a-half year high. The modest decline suggests hiring could continue at its healthy pace but may not accelerate.
The Labor Department said Tuesday that employers posted 3.46 million job openings in January. That's down from 3.54 million advertised in December, the most since August 2008. The department revised data back to January 2007.
The figures follow a government report Friday that showed the economy added 227,000 net jobs in February. It was the third straight month of strong job gains.
There were still 12.8 million unemployed people in January. That means an average of 3.7 people competed for each open job that month, the lowest ratio in three years. Still, the ratio is usually around 2 to 1 in healthy job markets.
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